Historical QOD 3/13/2009: True or False: The only currently used mouthwash ingredient to which death has been attributed is ethanol.
False. A death from ingestion of three liters of an essential-oil-containing mouthwash was attributed to the terpenes that were the active ingredients in the mouthwash.
Soo Hoo GW, Hinds RL, Dinovo E, Renner SW. Fatal large-volume mouthwash ingestion in an adult: a review and the possible role of phenolic compound toxicity. J Intensive Care Med. 2003 May-Jun;18(3):150-5. doi: 10.1177/0885066602250783. PMID: 14984634.
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